Chapter Two – The Crime Scene

Sonic had dropped a enormous bombshell and he knew it. He had never told anyone, not even Tails, that he had a brother. A real blood relative. Sonic had his reasons. Reasons that went back generations. He had hidden his brother away from all prying eyes especially the more famous he got, because he just didn't want Manic caught up in it. It wasn't his way. Manic didn't want to be famous, and had actually wished to remain unknown. If the truth came out, the prejudice would follow. People would assume incorrectly about him and his brother and this could potentially lead to dangerous times ahead. That was why he feared it.

He caught Tails' eyes, the fox was in tears in utter shock and disappointment. Why didn't Sonic tell him? Of all his friends, Tails should have known. Sonic was beating himself up over this, but he couldn't have told him. There was too much at stake. He might still save this if he kept the true extent of who he and his brother was down a minimum, and leave before people started asking questions. Because that's what was going to happen. Finding out he had a brother, everyone was going to ask who he really was. He couldn't answer that question, not just yet.

He had to leave.

He made a beeline for the door, but Knuckles stopped him. Sonic found himself staring at the deep purple eyes of a powerful red Echidna. His long dreadlocksstreaming down from his head, shining down his back and his muscles on his arms flexed as he folded them, looking throughly unimpressed and somewhat betrayed.

Sonic pleaded with him.

"Please, I have to go!" He stammered.

"But Sonic, the Grand Prix is less then a week away." Tails pleaded from the other side of the deadly silent room. Knuckles just stared at him.

The blue Hedgehog blew this off.

"I'll be back in time." He grinned, but nobody believed him. He looked at Knuckles and lowered his voice.

"If a member of your family was in trouble, wouldn't you go and help." He whispered.

Knuckles eyes widened, he had no family, he was the last of his kind, but Sonic knew this but he wasn't talking about that. Many years ago, Tikal, a female Echidna who had arrived from the past many years ago, a time traveller, and had asked Knuckles for help. Knuckles had pretty much abandoned his friends to accept saying as an Echidna, she was his 'family'. Sonic had persuadedthe others to let him go, which turned out to be for the best, and now he was asking for the favour to be returned.

Knuckles growled at Sonic, reeling for being put on the spot but eventually stood aside.

There were major objections around the room as the Echidna did this. He silenced them.

"He has to do this." He said strongly and then he rounded on Sonic. "And you WILL be back in time!" He spat.

That wasn't a request, it was an order!

"Yes." Sonic stammered, having no idea if that was going to be the case. Then he got cocky.

"Let me know what you decide with Eggman and we'll kick his butt when he get back."

Knuckles made a swing at him at this but Sonic easily dodged, grabbed Charlie and ran out of the door, at maximum speed. It wasn't a really punch from Knuckles, he was just swiping at him for his stupid comment. Behind at the house. Sonic knew he has smiled at that, some humour to break the tension.

Sonic was relieved to be out of there, speeding off into the distance, breaking the Sound Barrier but fearful of how his friends were going to take it. They must feel like they had been betrayed, lied to. Technically, Sonic hadn't lied. They had never directly asked him about his family and he had never volunteered anything. They had assumed he had no one and Sonic had never corrected them. Either way, he knew they were going to be very upset.

But Sonic had a more pressing matter.

Manic!

He had to find him and Sonic knew exactly of where to look.

Robotropolis.

There were many cities on Mobius, Central City, Empire City, Westopolis, and Station Square to name a few but Robotropolis was where Manic grew up and where he remained to this day. It was he brother's favourite haunt. It was his home, and it was also where the Diamond was stolen from. It was the best place to start. But there was a problem, more for Charlie then Sonic's.

Charlie had never been carried by Sonic before, especially on his back, and the speed and motion sickness were he realised where they were going, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Robotropolis was the oppositeside of the planet to Tails' House and the chestnutHedgehog was in for a rough journey. All he had to do was hold on to his lunch.

Charlie was stunned. The speed was mind-boggling. Traveling at the speed of sound, on nothing more then Sonic's own two feet. He wasn't even getting out of breathe. Amazed, he realised he would be back in Robotropolis in a matter of hours, rather then days. He had heard stories of Sonic's speed over the years, but had never seen it this up close and personal. It was above and beyond anything he had heard. But he couldn't help but get the impression that Sonic was holding back, despite going this fast. Charlie could feel it. The Chaos. He was far more power under the hood. Far more power. He could go faster if he choose. Potentially, three or four times faster. So why didn't he? Charlie went through, in his mind, what he knew about Sonic. The Blue Blur had only ever been known to go at Mach one, maybe Mach one and half, and that was it. No more. It was still impressive but it left Charlie somewhat confused. Why limit yourself when your capableof more? Was someone forcing him to play it down? Charlie didn't know and now was not the time to ask as the almighty city of Robotropolis sped towards them from the horizon.

Sonic was keen to arrive. He could feel Charlie's discomfort and the sooner he got him off his back the better. It was nightfall but the time they arrived, dusk had just fallen and the city was bright with street lights. But Sonic wasn't interested in those streets, he wanted the dark streets, the back alleys, the dirk tracks where Robotropolis' unwanted lived. The home of his brother.

But Charlie grabbed him and pulled him to one side.

"I think you'd better see this first." He whispered, steering him elsewhere. Sonic frowned but agreed. Charlie had seen what Sonic was thinking. He too knew Manic. He has known both brothers for years because it was here was where he'd found them. Fifteen years ago. Charlie is a lot older then Sonic, and was eight years old when he accidentallystumbled across them, on his way home from the shops. Cowering in the shadows, Sonic, a two year old toddler and Manic, a newborn, in his brother's arms, wrapped in blankets. Both were cold, frightened, hungry and alone. How they get there? Charlie had no idea, and had never receivedan answer despite asking.

But winter was coming and at the time, Charlie knew they wouldn't survive if he left them. He persuadedhis mother to take them in, saving their lives as a result. Life was good until Sonic was eight and Charlie, sixteen, when his mother unfortunately died. Unable to care for the brothers, Charlie was determined to find them a home, thus saving them from the Mobian Authority Care System.

Charlie had just got a job working for the Authorities themselves, and had managed to find Sonic and Manic a home. But it came with a catch. The deeds of the house belonged to a fox named Miles Prower but the fox in question was a baby was would require round the clock care. Charlie knew that Sonic was capable of such care, even at such a young age, having seen him with his brother. Charlie persuaded the Authorities to go ahead and the deal was done. The brothers had their new home. But Manic didn't want to go. He was so street-wise at just six years old, that he didn't want to leave. Charlie realised that if anyone could survive Robotropolis, Manic could and agreed to let the Hedgehog stay, to this very day.

Saying goodbye was hard for Sonic but it was for the best, as he really struggled with the severe Robotropolis winter. Manic always faired better, in fact, he loved them, but Sonic, unlike for example, Knuckles, had no Super-Strength, which meant he had little long-term resistance against the cold. But Sonic was the only high-level Chaos Creature with physical powers he knew of that didn't have Super-Strength. Shadow, Vector and Big the Cat all had it to some degree and of course, top of the bill, Knuckles. E123 Omega may also have had Super-Strength as well but being a robot, Sonic wasn't absolutely sure. Silver didn't have Super-Strength either, but he doesn't count, as all of his powers are mental, not physical. It meant that Sonic had difficulties where the others didn't. He had Super-Speed. He was slender, lightweight and was perfectly adapted for it. But he didn't have the high-level core strength that Super-Strength gives, therefore regularly surviving extremely cold prolonged winters was tough, so it was better to leave.

Moving away had other benefits too,as the more famous Sonic got, the easier it was to hide his brother. But what mess had he gotten himself into? NeitherSonic or Charlie knew. They turned down a brightly lit street towards a very large building, surrounded by police and DO NOT ENTER signs. To find out why Manic took the Diamond, better to check out the crime scene first. But this was the Robotropolis Museum. It was still crawling with people, and if the a world-famous Hedgehog suddenly shows up, questions would definitely be asked. It was at times like this that Sonic really hated his fame. They had to get in, unseen. Sonic had never been inside the Museum before, but Charlie knew his way around.

They immediately headed around the back, away from the crowds, to the back door. But they soon realised that wouldn't work, as it was heavily guarded. But the Museum had a side door that headed towards the stores and archives, staff only, padlocked but unguarded. They had to pick the lock. Neither Sonic nor Charlie were law breakers, in fact, Sonic based his entire reputation on it. But with such a street-wise brother, Sonic knew how to break locks, he just didn't agree with it. But if he was going to get at the truth, he had too. But with no bolt cutters, it wasn't going to be easy. Charlie looked panicked, and began to pace, but Sonic smirked to himself, mischievously, but he was also extremely worried.

To open the lock manually would take too long and be a potentially noisy affair, but there was an alternative. A silent, quicker and in Sonic's case, more dangerous alternative. He could open the lock easily, by using powers he had been hiding for years. Powers of which, if the truth came out, Sonic would find himself in severe trouble over. Powers that came with so much prejudice. So much history. So much judgement. He loved having and using them but feared the consequences.

His secret powers gave him an advantage, and he used them all the time, to slightly make the odds in his favour. It was a dangerous thing to do, considering the consequences could cost someone their life. If he was ever caught using them and giving the amount of prejudice they had, he could face, jail, or worse, but there were times when it was worth the occasionallyrisk. Like today, there was nobody around, and Charlie was trustworthy. They didn't have the time to hang around. He looked around over his shoulder, checked that they was alone and more importantly, that Charlie wasn't looking.

With one last quick glance around, Sonic concentrated, held his breathe and snapped his fingers. With a flash of silver hue, the lock snapped instantly and fell off the door. The Hedgehog quickly shook himself off, as if nothing had happened and triumphantlyopened the door to Charlie's total surprise. But there was no time for explanations, They had to get in, and quickly. Closing the door behind them, they found stores and archives in complete pitch darkness. There was shelves and tables everywhere, and unless they had a light, there was no way they were going to get through the store, without making a lot of noise, and attracting attention. They had to cross the room quickly and silently, which left Sonic no choice but to use his secret powers for a second time in as many minutes.

Charlie began to feel his way around but Sonic stood completely still and relaxed. He felt the Chaos inside of him increase and his eyes began to glow, silver. He opened his eyes and he could see. The stores and archives looked black and white with a silver hue. Sonic saw a path through the room, grabbed Charlie and headed towards the door at the oppositeend, leading to the Museum. They made it to the door in record time, leaving Charlie staring at Sonic but the Blue Blur blew him off. Charlie wasn't ready to know, yet. They opened the door to extremely bright light, and it caused Sonic to squint and made his eyes water. He was temporarilyblinded, and it took some time for his eyes to adjust to the light of the Museum.

As his vision cleared, Sonic peered through the gap in the door and saw that the Museum was crawling with police. Ahead of him was a large flight of stairs, with even more commotion at the top. Both Hedgehogs looked up and Charlie indicated that that was where they had to go,right to the top. There were people about, but getting up the stairs was easy enough.

Sonic smirked again, this was Super-Speed territory, powers he was definitelyallowed to show. Powers he'd become famous showing. Time to get moving. He grabbed Charlie's hand and sped up the stairs in a matter of seconds and halted in a gallery doorway. Charlie was left visible shaken, but Sonic ignored him. The crime scene in question seemed to be at far end of a long corridor, and neither Sonic nor Charlie could see much from where they were. They would have to get closer. Charlie pointed exactly where they had to go. The display case that housed the famous Heart Of Gold Diamond was indeed at the far end of the corridor, in a gallery cordonedoff by the police with blue and white tape everywhere. They had to get in there silently, quickly and unseen.

Sonic could clearly see down the main corridor, side corridors leading off to other gallery's and parts of the Museum. Despite there being so many people about, he could see places in the shadows of these off-shoot corridors and gallery's, where he could rest for a few seconds before moving on. Effectively, zig-zag his way down the main corridor, at Super-Speed, as silently as he could and hopefully not be seen. In theory, it would work, if Charlie could keep his mouth shut. Sonic knew that Charlie didn't like traveling at Super-Speed, and neither did his stomach.

Charlie was wondering what to do next, when Sonic grabbed him, quickly told him the plan and moved, very quickly before the chestnut Hedgehog could object. Charlie squealed as Sonic sped zig-zagging down the corridor, bouncing from one gallery to the next and quickly found somewhere to hide near to the crime scene. A few police officers looked up at the noise and went to investigate but came back with nothing, and dismissed it. Sonic sighed with relief, he'd got away with that, just, though he wasn't to happy at Charlie. This what why Sonic liked to work alone or with someone who understood Super-Speed, like Shadow. Excess baggage just didn't work for him.

They had made it inside the correct gallery, but the scene in front of him quickly distracted him from his annoyance. Inside the police cordonedarea, with blue and white tape around it, was a singular pedestal, surrounded by reenforced glass case. The glass case itself was inside a drop down solid titaniumcage, with unbreakablemetal bars and as Sonic watched, he got a glimpseof something red, just in front of the glass case. Lasers Alarms. With this level of maximum security, this was where the Heart Of Gold Diamond was supposedto be.

Sonic eyes were drawn to the floor, where there was a very large hole, about two metres wide with very large cracks extending out from it. The pedestalhad dropped into the hole and only to top six inches was showing. But then Sonic saw something, that said for definite that this was his brother's doing. On top of the pedestal and scattered all around inside the glass case, there was a large amount of black powder. Sonic laughed but Charlie frowned. He was about to ask what was going on, when a police officer walked in on them, forcing them to duck out of sight.

Though they couldn't see, they could hear the police officer talking to what sounded like his superior.

"The test results are back, and the black powder appears to be coal dust!"

Coal dust.

The plot thicken.

Why leave coal dust behind?

Silence and bewilderment filled the whole area, but Sonic couldn't help but snigger. It was total genius. He knew exactly what the coal dust was, and was proud of his brother for doing it. But why? But why go to these extreme lengths?

Sonic had seen enough, and was extremely keen to leave. That was going to be easier said then done. They were three storiesup. Looking around, Sonic could see an unguarded window to the side of them. Grabbing Charlie, he slide towards it. Looking out, Sonic could see down to the dark streets below and the path down clear. Charlie was terrified. They weren't going to jump? Sonic smirked and raised an eyebrow, that was exactly what they were going to do.

"Your crazy!" Charlie whispered, but Sonic silenced him.

Crazy. Yes to some degree, but Manic, his brother, was far worse. Then Charlie pointed to the window. It was locked solid, and somewhat rusted. They weren't opening that in a hurry.

Charlie begin to panic, looking around, desperate not to get caught. Sonic watched him carefully. He felt the Chaos with him build up and increase. He could open the window, the same way he broke the padlock. His secret powers would work here, but this would require more effect. Sonic waited until the point when Charlie back was turned, when quickly concentrated, snapped his finger and silver hue appeared and ran the length of the window, opening it with a click. Sonic winced, and shook his hand. He'd forgotten about the Drain, or the extremely painful fatigue that can sometime happen when using his secret powers. It wasn't usually a problem when he used his powers regularly, but nowadays he was severely out of practice, especially using for larger scale things like this.

Sonic slide the window open, but then a torchlightshone brightly on them. It was a police officer doing the rounds.

"Hey you!" He called.

Sonic span around. Charlie was between him and the officer. Using that to his advantage, as he didn't want to be recognised, he grabbed him from behind, and throw them both out of the window, backwards.

Time to leave.

They hit the wall on the way out and broke apart. Charlie screamed the entire way down, but Sonic, who was as cool as a cucumber, saw that he had a major problem. Sonic had the ability to fall three stories and perfectly land on his feet, no injures. His original idea was to land and catch Charlie. But that wasn't going to work here. Physics was against him, more specifically, gravity. Charlie was heavier then Sonic, and falling faster. Sonic was perfectly designed for Super-Speed. His body didn't have a skeletonmade of bone, like normal, it was entirely made of reenforced flexible yet very strong. Able to withstand the extremely high G-forces that Sonic pulled at Super-Speed. With reflex actions to match, his body was so highly strung, that any injury, particularly a breakage, could be fatal. Sonic was very aware that using his Super-Speed was incredible dangerous, as a fall at top speed, would mean the end of him.

But it also meant that Sonic was a extremely lightweight, as cartilage weighsa lot less then bone. Charlie would hit the ground before him.

Killing him instantly.

Sonic swore. He had to think of something and fast, as the ground rushed towards them. He put his arms by his side and dived towards Charlie, getting just close enough to grab his hand. The chestnut Hedgehog grabbed hold of Sonic for dear life. They were seconds from hitting the ground, when Sonic closed his eyes and used every instinct he had to get them out of there. Sonic internal Chaos increased so dramaticallythat it went through the roof, silver hue appeared all round them, his eyes burning, and then darkness.

Sonic suddenly woke with a start. It was dark. His head was throbbing. It had never experienced Drain this badly, before. His leg also hurt. He looked down and saw a bandage. From the feel of it, it felt like just surface grazes. Sonic was relieved, he was fearing a worser injury. He sat up and looked around. He was lying across three chairs that had been pushed together, in what looked like an office. All of the curtains were drawn, except for one where moonlight came through, casting shadows everywhere. Office desks and chairs where everywhere, a bit hap-hazard, and Sonic eyes were drawn to the only light in the room. A computer monitor with someone behind it.

"Ah, your awake!" He said, sounding throughly unimpressed.

Sonic recognisedthe voice. Charlie! He'd done it. He was alive. Sonic had successfully got them out of there. Now he recognisedwere they were. This was his office. He'd had it for years, it was here that Charlie had gotten Sonic rehoused, but chestnut Hedgehog didn't look happy.

"What the hell, Sonic?" He snapped to Sonic's surprise. "You threw us out of a window and we landed in a rubbish dump!"

Sonic giggled. Well that explained the grazes. At least they had a soft landing. But Charlie wasn't done.

"The thing is, the rubbish dump was half a mile away from the Museum. You were out cold, so I had to drag your behind all the way back here!" He growled.

Wait, half a mile!

Sonic was stunned.

He had Chaos Controlled. Teleported. Ok, not normally an issue. He had the ability to Chaos Control with a Chaos Emerald. Shadow taught him how, years ago, but what got to Sonic is that he didn't have a Chaos Emerald on him. His secret powers did this all on their own. He knew they were growing rapidly, but he never expected this. Charlie was bearing down on him, he wanted answers.

"I've been researching." He declared. "You can teleport with a Chaos Emerald, but there is only one method you can teleport without one is..."

The deepest fear ever come over Sonic as he knew what Charlie was going to say. Before you could blink, Sonic had gotten off the chairs, and ran around to Charlie and silenced him, a hand over his mouth.

"Don't!" He gasped. "If the world knew, I would be killed and so would Manic..."

Charlie's eyes widened. Sonic was panicking. The mere thought of his brother dying because of him, was more then he could bare. He didn't care about his own life, only for his brother's. Then it hit him, hard.

Manic!

They came to Robotropolis to look for him.

"Where's Manic?" Sonic demanded.

"I don't know." Charlie gasped. He had been so taken aback by finding out about Sonic, that he had completely forgotten about Manic. But he didn't want to get either of his friends killed. He sighed

"You've been out cold for three days. There wasn't much I could do, except hide you here. The office is supposed to be closed for annual leave." He shrugged.

Sonic gasped ad moved away from Charlie.

Three days!

That teleport must have taken more out of him then he realised, but then he went white. That meant that he only had two days to find Manic and get back in time for the Grand Prix. They had the whole of Robotropolis to search. If Sonic wasn't back in time for the Grand Prix, as ordered, questions would be asked. People would start prying into his life, and he very keen to keep them at arm's length. That was how much he feared the truth coming out.

Manic could be anywhere in Robotropolis. Correction, Manic was somewhere. How well did he know his brother? He was on the run from the police, who would have figured out the truth, by now. So where would he go? Nobody knew Robotropolis better then Manic, who could just disappear in the city. He had his favourite haunts, but Sonic realised he wouldn't go there, as the police would also find him. Sonic looked out of the window, the moonlight lighting up the entire city. They were five stories up in a large tower building, so Sonic had a good view of the roof tops below. Various houses, office buildings, retail parks and streets spread out into the distance ahead of him, and it was at that point that Sonic realised that city life wasn't really for him. He preferredthe open countryside, the cleaner air and the ability to go as fast as he wanted. Still thinking about where his brother would go, he thought about his early childhood in the city. He spend six years here, before moving in with Tails. Was there any memories from during that time that could give him any help?

Yes there was.

Sonic remembered that when they were kids and things got tough, Manic would always disappear and be found several hours later, in an abandoned building on the edge of the lake. The lake lay to the southwest of the city and was always run-down and badly polluted. But Manic loved it. He said that he found the water extremely calming, even if it did stink, and now times were tough again, now more then ever. Sonic try to listen out for message on the ether from his brother, but got nothing. He sighed.

Charlie had been watching Sonic intently.

"You've found him, haven't you. You know where he is?" He asked. The Blue Blur nodded. Charlie now fully understood now Sonic was able to do those bizarrethings at the Museum, and realised at the very survival of his friends relied on him keeping what he'd seen to himself. By Sonic teleporting, he had saved his life, the least he could do is return the favour.

"Go!" He said. Sonic stared at Charlie. Charlie had realised that the Blue Blur was better working on his own.

"Go." He said again. "I'll stay here, just in case he heads my way." He added.

Sonic was extremely grateful.

"Thank you." He gasped and ran. Out through the door, down the stairs and out into the night, the big bustlingcity of Robotropolis awaiting.